At the present time, containers are utilized in the transportation and temporary storage of virtually all types of goods and materials. Typically, these containers have dimensions of 8'.times.8'.times.20', although 30' and 40' containers are also used. Presently available apparatus for handling such containers include bridge cranes, stradle carriers, and forklift trucks.
Bridge cranes comprise permanent installations which are utilized at locations such as harbors to manipulate containers onto and off of ships, barges, and the like. Although satisfactory for the intended purpose, bridge cranes cannot be utilized for the transportation of containers and cannot be utilized to handle containers at remote locations. Stradle carriers comprise high, wide devices which carry containers in an elevated orientation. For this reason, stradle carriers tend to tip over when operated on soft or inclined surfaces. In order to transport a container by means of a forklift truck, the length of the container must extend transversely to the direction of movement. This requires unnecessarily wide roadways, gates, doorways, etc., and also presents a safety problem since the forklift truck operator cannot see around the container during forward movement.
The foregoing problems become even more critical when containers are utilized in military applications. For example, landing craft are typically utilized to transport war material to beachheads. Stradle carriers are too large to enter landing craft, and the landing craft doors are not sufficiently wide to permit the removal of containers therefrom in a sideways orientation. Additionally, neither stradle carriers nor forklift trucks are adapted for operation either in the surf, or on sand, or on highly inclined surfaces of the type often encountered at beachheads. For this reason the present practice is to utilize a two-wheel trailer operated by a bulldozer or similar device to remove containers from landing craft and to move the containers through the surf and across the beach to a suitable location. At this point a stradle carrier or a forklift truck or crane is utilized to place the container on a transportation vehicle. The transportation vehicle then hauls the container to its ultimate destination, whereupon a second forklift truck or stradle carrier is utilized to remove the container from the transportation vehicle. It will thus be understood that up to five pieces of equipment may be required in order to accomplish the relatively straight forwar d task of moving a container from the interior of a landing craft to its ultimate destination.
Even at installations such as military bases and the like, current procedures for handling containers are unsatisfactory. Thus, containers are typically received at a central location from railroad cars, semi-trailers, etc. However, due to space limitations, neither stradle carriers nor forklift trucks can be used to transport the containers from the central receiving location to the ultimate destinations such as mess halls, ammo dumps, etc. It is therefore necessary to unload each container at the central receiving location and to use trucks to transport the container contents to the ultimate destinations.
The present invention comprises a container handling apparatus which overcomes the foregoing and other problems long since associated with the prior art. In accordance with the broader aspects of the invention, a container handling apparatus is adapted to transport containers across adverse terrain, such as through surf, across beaches, and over highly inclined surfaces. The apparatus of the present invention is further adapted to transport containers across obstacles such as rocks, logs, craters and ditches, rubble, etc. Container handling apparatus incorporating the invention are characterized by the ability to operate at speeds of up to 45 m.p.h. or more in the unloaded configuration and speeds of up to 25 m.p.h. in the loaded configuration. Finally, the present invention comprises a container handling apparatus adapted to transport containers through relatively limited spaces, thereby facilitating both the removal of containers from landing craft and the positioning of containers at ultimate destinations without the necessity of unloading the contents of the containers onto trucks. It will thus be understood that the container handling apparatus of the present invention is adapted to remove containers from landing craft, to transport containers across extremely adverse terrain, to transport containers at higher speeds, and to position containers at the ultimate destinations thereof, all without requiring the use of any other apparatus whatsoever.
In accordance with more specific aspect of the invention, a container handling apparatus comprises a pair of longitudinally extending, elongate, hollow, load bearing, primary frames. A plurality of secondary frames are pivotally connected to the primary frames and extend angularly downwardly and rearwardly with respect thereto. Each secondary frame has a wheel rotatably supported at the distal end thereof. Transmission apparatus extends from a pair of drive motors through each elongate, hollow, primary frame and through the secondary frames to the wheels, so that operation of the drive motors effects concurrent rotation of all of the associated wheels. A spring/shock absorber/cylinder assembly is connected between each secondary frame and its associated primary frame for regulating and controlling the orientation of the secondary frame relative to the primary frame. This facilitates skid steering, regulation of the overall height of the container handling apparatus, and operation of the apparatus over inclined surfaces by providing independent wheel suspension.
A cross frame interconnects the front ends of the elongate hollow primary frames and supports an operator's compartment, an engine, and a pair hydraulic pumps driven by the engine for supplying hydraulic fluid to the drive motors. Conventional forklift masts are mounted on the primary frames and in turn support a rectangular load beam. The load beam is self centering relative to containers received therein and is provided with apparatus for latching engagement with the latch lugs of the containers. The cross frame is selectively retractable and the load beam is selectively foldable to reduce the overall width of the container handling apparatus. By this means the apparatus is adapted for use on highways and in other limited width situations whenever it is not used to transport a container.
The forklift masts have a pin-clevis type attaching point ot the primary frames so that by removing one pin connection the mast may be rotated about the other pin to a horizontal position resting on the primary frame thus reducing the overall vehicle height for air transport type shipment. The vehicle cab also has a pin-clevis type attaching point so that the upper portion of the cab can be rotated forward to reduce the overall vehicle height for air transport type shipment.